Merced firefighter loses foot in accident, works toward recovery

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- When a Merced firefighter archetypal got his training, helium didn't cognize helium would 1 time go his ain patient.

Rhett Avant was riding his motorcycle to enactment connected Friday erstwhile helium crashed.

"I was coming astir a country and my tires broke escaped connected my motorcycle," said Avant. "I moved and swerved arsenic overmuch arsenic I could, and I caught conscionable the past small spot of the trailer of the large rig, and it fundamentally tore disconnected the full near broadside of my bike, including my foot."

He had to use his life-saving skills to his ain survival.

"I was capable to intelligibly speech with 911 and capable to assistance them fig retired wherever I was at, I was capable to get my ain tourniquet connected myself and use that," said Avant.

Avant was taken to the hospital, wherever his ft was amputated, but aft the surgery, Avant asked for much of his limb to beryllium chopped off.

He did immoderate probe and recovered retired that with the due prosthetic, helium could instrumentality to the occupation helium loves, but that would necessitate moving his amputation up from the ankle to beneath the knee.

"I've conscionable been successful the caput abstraction of immoderate I request to bash to get the champion imaginable beingness aft this, I'm gonna do," said Avant.

For him, this isn't a communicative of sadness.

It's a communicative of resilience, and helium hasn't mislaid his consciousness of humor.

"My mother, successful each of our bully humor, bought some of my girls pirate outfits," said Avant.

"So, they came retired of the bath dressed caput to toed arsenic pirates without a peg limb and were similar 'we're dad!'"

Because the clang happened disconnected duty, helium can't get fiscal enactment from the department. Instead, his coworkers and their families stepped successful by mounting up a GoFundMe and tackling each of the family's needs.

"We've acceptable up proscription for them, the family, tried to get kid enactment for them and their family," said Capt. Andrew Hathaway, Merced Fire Department. "We're trying to bash a gait enactment sign-up expanse excessively truthful we tin assistance with immoderate gait enactment and worldly similar that arsenic well."

Avant said helium has to support "hitting the humble button" to judge each of the enactment from his coworkers, friends, and family.

"It's overwhelming and it's a immense blessing, but I'll instrumentality each spot of it," said Avant. "It's awesome."

Avant expects to beryllium discharged from the infirmary connected Friday, and it volition instrumentality astir 2 months earlier helium tin beryllium fitted for a prosthetic.

He said the main told him his occupation volition beryllium acceptable and waiting for his return.

To donate to the family's GoFundMe account, click here.

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